Explosion kills 5 Palestine boys walking to school

Posted: Friday, November 23, 2001

The Associated Press

KHAN YOUNIS REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) - An explosion killed five Palestinian boys from the same clan as they walked to school Thursday, and Palestinian police said they believed the boys inadvertently set off an unexploded Israeli shell.

The children, ages 7 to 14, were hurled into the air and torn apart by the blast. Bloodied schoolbooks and scorched satchels were scattered across the sandy lot.

Israeli officials said the blast could also have been triggered by Palestinian-made explosives, but Palestinian officials blamed Israel.

The Palestinian information minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, demanded that the United States and Europe exert greater pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to pull back troops from friction points. "We can't witness real security as long as Sharon and his government are seeking a military solution," he said.

Arieh Mekel, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official, said Israel shared the grief of the boys' families, but suggested that the Palestinians might want to use the deaths "for purposes of propaganda" as the region gears up for a fresh diplomatic initiative.

Two U.S. mediators - Assistant Secretary of State William Burns and retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni - are expected to fly in next week to push for a cease-fire.